<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>social distancing. by schlatt</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407411">social distancing.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/schlatt/pseuds/schlatt'>schlatt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coronavirus, Divorced Harry Potter &amp; Ginny Weasley, F/F, F/M, Karma - Freeform, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Malfoy Manor, Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Minor Angst, Quarantine, finished fic, scorpius and albus hints, short fic, social distancing, soft fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:28:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,922</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23407411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/schlatt/pseuds/schlatt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are quarantined together thanks to the Coronavirus. Sparks fly. ( it's  like electricity &amp; i might die )</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood/Ginny Weasley, Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>61</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. quarantine.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“ As of 4 pm, this day,  The United Kingdom is under compulsory quarantine. Under no circumstances are you to leave your home for the next fourteen days, a government-issued military patrol will be guarding all areas constantly and if you are caught breaking your quarantine you will face jail time. Thank you, stay safe and God bless the queen. “ </p><p> </p><p>Both Draco and Harry stand there, absolutely shocked, the pretty cup of tea in Draco’s hand almost slipping out of his grip. </p><p> </p><p>They stand in Harry’s living room, a cosy, warm place- or in Draco’s opinion, a cluttered nightmare.  The room in itself was large, but it’s walls are covered in paintings and bookshelves, every corner containing a green plant or ‘vintage’ lamp. </p><p> </p><p>After Harry and Ginny’s divorce, Harry moved to the country, craving an entirely different lifestyle to the one he had in the heart of London. He’d say it’d be better for the kids who stay with him most days, but in reality, Harry just craved the peace and quiet of the countryside.</p><p> </p><p>The kids had only just left via the floo to visit their mum, taking Scorpius, Draco’s son, with them stating Draco knew to pick Scorpius up from Ginny’s. That isn’t the case.  Harry and Draco only had just realized they’d been swindled when that chilling announcement aired on Harry’s ‘mechanical muggle painting’ causing them both to pause mid-conversation. </p><p> </p><p>  “That can’t include  us, surely?” Draco said, placing his cup down on the nearest surface, staring at the television which had since faded to black, the phone number on the screen in a bold Arial font. </p><p> </p><p>Suddenly a gush of flame burst in the fireplace and there appeared Hermione’s face, framed with a head of wild curls that she’d learnt to love rather than tame. Somehow, Hermione manages to avoid ageing altogether- despite being close to forty she looks no older than twenty-five.  Witches and wizards are also under quarantine and the floo network has been shut down entirely- oh, and apparating is punishable, so don’t bother. I was going to tell you earlier, Harry, but I got distracted- Draco? Hello! “</p><p> </p><p>Draco <em> kind of </em>waves, which is honestly a lot better than the effort he’d put in back at school. Draco spent five whole years in Azkaban and it seemed to barely affect him- he was less hostile, and certainly didn’t follow the dark lord but he’s still Draco. Much like how Sirius was still Sirius- Black blood must be immune dementors or something. </p><p> </p><p>Harry’s heart aches when he thinks of the day Draco was locked away- He and a large group of Hogwarts students all protested Draco’s sentence, seemingly everyone agreed that Draco wasn’t a bad person but a poor boy raised by bad people but the Ministry declined.</p><p> </p><p> Even now when Harry closes his eyes he can see Draco’s face dropping when his sentence was read out in the courtroom. Draco didn’t cry, he didn’t speak, he nodded as if he agreed with his sentence. The idea that Draco believed he deserved to go to Azkaban still makes Harry feel Nauseous. </p><p> </p><p>Harry remembers the applause from the opposition when Draco’s sentence was read out and how much he <em> hated </em>them.  Harry will never be fond of the Ministry but for a period of at least three years Harry despised them, he spent days wishing he never thought so hard to save the wizarding world only for them to turn their back on Draco in the way they did. Maybe they deserved what they had coming for them. </p><p> </p><p>Now, twenty years older and a whole lot wiser he understands. Draco was the son of one of Voldemort’s favourite side pieces and an accomplice in the murder of Albus Dumbledore but none of that could ever change Harry’s opinion of the blonde man stood beside him- Draco Malfoy is NOT a bad person. </p><p> </p><p>“ Well, shit Hermione. The kids just floo’d to Ginny’s house with Scorpius- how is she going to  look after all of them on her own?” As if a switch is flicked in Harry’s mind he begins to panic, pacing around the room. </p><p> </p><p>Another head appears in the fireplace, this one belonging to Ron Weasley, “Ginny is a great mom, you git. What? You think she can’t look after her kids?” </p><p> </p><p>“Ron<em> I </em>am talking to Harry. Go away. “ And then Ron’s head vanishes from the flames with a little puff of smoke. </p><p> </p><p>“Ginny will be fine, Luna is staying with her too. Remember Teddy and Luna? She was amazing with him. “ </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah… Well… I think she’s the reason why  Teddy is so, you know, flamboyant.” </p><p> </p><p>Hermione bursts into a laugh, another faint but rowdy laugh come from the background- Definitely Ron. </p><p> </p><p>“If Teddy got his uh, <em> queer </em>, personality from anyone it’s you, Harry. I’ve got to go. “</p><p> </p><p>With that, Hermione vanishes from the fire with another little puff. Finally, he looks over at Draco who’s now sitting down, mouth covered, giggling to himself. Harry quickly thinks of a way to change the subject. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, we’ll be staying with one another for a while… Let’s catch up. What’re you doing for work?”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“I’m an Alchemist, I mostly brew potions for health, that sort of thing. Ironic given this virus that’s going around. I was too busy brewing a lust potion… What about you? “ Harry’s eyebrows arch and he sits down, crossing his legs over one another. He’d used a few lust potions recently before he and Ginny divorced. Now there isn’t a need. </p><p> </p><p>“Oh, well, I did the quidditch thing for a while… wrote some books… worked for the Ministry for a bit. I’m kind of retired. “ </p><p> </p><p>“A stay at home dad, then? Charming. I wish I could have the luxury of retiring… The ministry claimed the Malfoy fortune.” Draco says softly, looking away from Harry for a moment before returning his glance. </p><p> </p><p>“When I left Azkaban I went straight to the Ministry to ask for my inheritance- I was informed all of our savings and artefacts had been claimed and the only thing that was left was The Manor but it was serious investigation- searching it for dark magic. It’s been 20 years and i still can’t have it back. I  only hope they’ll let Scorpius inherit.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry flies to his feet again in a whole new fit, this one of anger rather than panic. “ How dare they? They have no right to take your fortune. No right! You’re a free man, a good man-  Those bloody Ministry officials- no hearts. None. “</p><p> </p><p>“Potter! Please,  save your breath. There’s nothing to be done, I've tried it all. The only reason they couldn’t take the house is that the bloody queen wouldn’t lt them- the land was given to our family by the first king so it wasn’t the Ministries to take. The only way I can get anything from the property is if I allow the Ministry to sell it, they’ll give me the money they make from it but I… I don’t want to do that.” Draco ran his hands over his thighs, squeezing them. Anyone can tell that the subject is a touchy one, Draco looks far more miserable than usual. </p><p> </p><p>Harry slowly lowers himself back down into a different seat, this time sitting across from Draco. They sit in silence for some time, Harry thinking of ways he could heroically save the Malfoy Manor, Draco, on the other hand, wishing he was anywhere else besides Harry Potter’s living room. </p><p> </p><p>Harry decided to speak again,  “Where do you live now?” He asked, crossing his legs over one another, hands in his lap. Harry desperately wants to make things work between them as the idea of spending the next two weeks with Draco in a hostile environment makes his blood run cold. </p><p> </p><p>“Well, right after leaving Azkaban I and Astoria got married- I moved in with her. I’m still surprised that she even wanted to be with me after my sentence… I’ve lived with her ever since. “ Despite the lovely things Draco is saying he doesn’t seem too happy, instead sarcastic. </p><p> </p><p>“True love, right? It conquers all or something, yeah?” Harry says clueless to Draco’s attitude, Draco simply rolls his eyes at the others' comment and continues the conversation. </p><p>“Speaking of wives,  who are you seeing now since  Ginny called for a divorce? I can’t see the famous Harry Potter being a bachelor for too long. What’s her name? How many years younger is she?” Draco’s face curls into a cunning smirk, his elbow propped up on the couch’s arm, chin in his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m not seeing anyone. I tried to get back into the clubbing scene, I met a few people but nothing worked out. It’s hard to…” Harry pauses for a moment, neck and cheeks turning crimson. “ <em> You know </em>with someone after they’ve told you their parents used to read them stories about you when they were a baby. I tried the muggle scene too but it’s just too wild for me. I’m… Old. “ </p><p> </p><p>Draco’s expression changed at least seven times throughout Harry’s story before finally contorting into a stifled laugh once he’d finished. It took Draco a small while to regather himself but once he did he cleared his throat. “ At least you’re trying. “ </p><p> </p><p>“Mhm. Yeah. “ Harry rolls his eyes, eyes peering up at an old clock that sits on the wall beside a portrait of Harry’s grandfather, Fleamont Potter. “It’s late, let me show you where the guest room is so you can settle down.”</p><p> </p><p>The pair stand at once and Harry guides Draco through the house, they pass a small staircase and head down a hallway covered with even more pictures, these far less pretty than the ones on the walls in the living room. Draco takes a particularly long time scanning a certain muggle portrait, in it a fat little man, round in shape and pink in the face and seemingly his wife- a tall, thin woman, reminding Draco of a stick. Between them sits a fat little boy, cheeks rosy like his father, brunette like his mother. He seems unhappy. Who on earth could they be? </p><p> </p><p>Before Draco has time to ask Harry he’s already gone, sweeping into a room on their left. The room is large, only containing a bed in its centre, a small fireplace, a single bedside table, a wardrobe in the corner and a….  A mirror on the <em> roof </em>? </p><p> </p><p>Harry seems to catch Draco staring at the porn-mirror and clears his throat to grab his attention. “ It was there when I bought the place, I've just never been bothered to take it down. Sorry.” He turns again,  going back to violently fixing the sheets on the bed. </p><p> </p><p>Draco steps out of the room,  hands behind his back, observing the pictures along the hall. Most of them are of significant times in Harry’s life, newspaper articles back from when he was a seeker for the Appleby Arrows. Draco remembers seeing Harry in person, he played so well and looked so graceful while doing it... </p><p> </p><p>He continues walking, eyeing some questionable art and a few pictures of Harry’s children, a stand out being Albus’ 12th birthday- In it sits Albus and Draco’s son Scorpius, sitting so close to one another that they’re sitting on each other. Very cute. </p><p> </p><p>He’s finally reached the end of the hall and eye’s the set of stairs again, only now realizing that here’s two of them. One is leading upwards and the other down… He’s tempted to adventure further when Harry stops him. </p><p> </p><p>“ I wouldn’t go up there, it’s James’ little lair. Last time I ventured up there well… I saw things I wish I didn't. Downstairs, on the other hand, is just my office, I… I have something down there I want to show you tomorrow. Your rooms are done, I left a set of pyjamas on the bed for you to use if you want to, feel free to transfigure them and uh, yeah. My room is just down from yours so if you need anything…”</p><p> </p><p>Draco nods, arms folded over his chest, a small smile creeping over his face. There’s something very cute about how flustered Harry gets, especially in the situation they’re in. Draco places a hand on Harry’s shoulder and gives it a little squeeze before walking past him, swooping around the corner and sliding into his room.</p><p> </p><p>Draco spends a small amount of time speaking to Scorpius over the floo, making sure the Weaslet is taking good care of him. The conversation is cut short when a rowdy black-haired boy grabs his son by the shoulders and pulls him off the couch, Draco can hear some murmurs, a loud “ it’s my dad!” and then Scorpius appears again face pink. “I’m fine, I've got to go.” </p><p> </p><p>Harry has himself a long, steaming hot shower, taking the time to think about things. A surprisingly big argument point between him and Ginny was his showers- too long, too steamy and according to her, their bathroom was going to rot because of the constant moisture.</p><p>In reality, Harry knows exactly why they divorced but he wouldn’t dare speak of it-  he refuses to think about it. He’d rather put it to petty fights than the truth, even if that may be embarrassing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. the portrait.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Harry stands in the kitchen, wrapped in a Gryffindor red robe, hair a mess, stubble framing his jaw,  enchanted fry pan behind him cooking a large portion of bacon and eggs, busy brewing a pot of coffee. He’s facing an exposed brick wall, staring into it as if he can see something in the grainey pattern of the red bricks. The whole kitchen is rather cute and tidy, certainly the ‘neatest’ part of Harry’s whole house- As much as he enjoys the ‘aesthetic’ of clutter,  he can’t handle a messy kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turns around, mug of freshly poured coffee in his hands to see Draco walk into the kitchen. Draco, although still in pajamas- not transfigured into a new Slytherin green silk set Harry notes, he manages to look  put together. Like he’s about to partake in a photoshoot for the cover of vogue or at the very least post a morning selfie on Instagram. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning. Tea or coffee? “ Harry puts his mug down and turns on the spot to take another from the cupboard  on the behind him, this mug being very pretty compared to Harry’s which said “ lover of cake “ on it with a series of bottoms on it, all different sizes and shapes. Draco’s on the other is adorned with a painting of a tree whose branches wrap around to create it’s handle. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, Potter. Tea, please. “ Draco sit down on one of the four wooden stools situated at the counter, eyeing Harry’s mug as he turns around. Draco can’t help but notice that the cake on his mug looked to belong to a group of men rather than women but then again who is Draco to judge a woman and her hairy bottom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes scan higher and he takes in Harry’s appearance, his hair is wild with curls and a faint shadow of facial hair can be seen on his chin and jaw. Draco  caught Harry’s attention so he grabbed his own jaw, stroking his chin, suggesting towards the other’s facial hair. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, i’m going to shave later. “ Harry mumbles, placing the mug of tea down in front of Draco and leaning over to place his elbows on the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco quickly replies, an almost frantic look in his eyes as he does. “ No, don’t.  It looks good…” Draco exhales, placing his hands back onto the counter. “ You look quite ha-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Moning, Dad. I fell asleep last night and everyone left me to go to Mum’s. This coronavirus shit is the worst, innit? All the shops are out of food and they’ve closed the muggle schools, they even cancelled the world cup. Not that it matters to </span>
  <em>
    <span>us </span>
  </em>
  <span>anyway. Still no over that, my father, winner of the quidditch world cup </span>
  <em>
    <span>TWICE</span>
  </em>
  <span>, couldn’t  even bother to get his son's tickets. Bulgaria were playing, the veelas…” James paused speaking for a moment to let out a dreary sigh before continuing, “ Not that you care about them, male Veelas don’t exist which is bullshit if you ask me, anyway, they won’t close Hogwarts, right? I mean, they didn’t close the school while  nasty death eaters were running around its halls so I don't see why they would just ‘cause of some cold.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James had descended down the stairs leading to his bedroom, eyes locked to his phone as he spoke. Only once he’d finished speaking did he look up, eyes locking with not only his father but also Draco Malfoy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Nothing scares James. He manages to make a joke of every situation and bow off even the most serious of situations but Draco Malfoy? He is one of the few people who make his skin crawl. An ex death eater, Azkaban survivor and, judging by how James’ extended family speak of him, a right well git. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Mr Malfoy… I didn’t see you there. Sorry.” James quickly takes his place next to Draco, making a point of leaving a gap of one seat in between them so as not to invade the other’s privacy. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Good morning, James. “ Draco says, turning back to Harry who looked absolutely bewildered. Harry was searching for words to say, mouth agape- it took him awhile but he finally found a response. “Your cousin, Louis, he’s what? ⅛th  Veela? So technically they exist. “ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James just rolls his eyes, grabbing Harry’s coffee cup from across the table and finishing it. He then turns to Draco,  who although seemed to be minding his own business was actually analyzing the situation very intensely.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So. You’ll be staying with us for a while, then?” James has an awfully large smile on his face and Draco finds it to be very charming. He’s a lot like Harry in appearance- dark, wild hair, a similar face and eyes but everything else is nothing of him. James is muscular, loud and boisterous- as Gryffindor as it gets. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two weeks.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Two weeks, </span>
  <em>
    <span>minimum</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “ James adds,  raising his eyebrows before turning back to his dad. “ Speaking of Louis, I have to floo Uncle Bill. Important stuff. Bye. “ He gets up, mug in hand, and scatters back upstairs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ Bill?” Draco turns to Harry, a fond smile on his face. “ William  Weasley? Cursebreaker? The </span>
  <em>
    <span>only </span>
  </em>
  <span> attractive Weasley? Probably a werewolf?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh… I guess so, “ Harry chuckles, not looking Draco in the eye. “I remember when I first met him ,  dragon skin boots, long hair, tooth for an earring. Like a rockstar. “ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kind of.. Dreamy. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I suppose so.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suddenly two plates of food appear before them, stacked high with rashes of bacon, fried tomatoes, fried  eggs with the yolks still runny, fat, juicy sausages and buttered pieces of bread. Rather than acknowledging the rather, well, colorful conversation they had just had they dug in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It seemed like they ate forever, not a sound heard besides the clicking of metal against the porcelain plates. It was peaceful, nice. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry couldn’t deny that he was enjoying the company, having an adult around was rather lovely and there seemed to be a small part of him that, for whatever reason, missed Draco. His presence brings a unique aura to any situation and well, he’s rather nice to look at too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>If there was any proof at all that male Veelas existed Draco could very well be it,  his pointed features, perfectly clear and ghostly pale skin, the way his hair seemed to sit perfectly on his head and his body managed to move deliberately and with grace. Truth  be told, Draco confessing to being a Veela would be very convenient for Harry because then he’d have an excuse as to why he struggles to peel his eyes away from the other. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco on the other hand was feeling a very similar way. The things that bothered him about Harry as a boy he seemed to find rather… cute,  his awkward movements, shy reactions and unrelenting kindness. He was also beginning to become fascinated by that blank expression Harry wore frequently. What was going on in that man’s head? A younger Draco assumed the answer was obvious; nothing was going on in Harry’s head, in fact, nothing sat between the boy’s ear. That clearly isn’t the case, and now the mystery of Harry’s thought process was, without any doubt, attractive to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry had been through so much as a boy, his parents killed by you-know-who, raised by a pair of awful muggles,  constant battles with his parents murderer throughout his teenage years all while being a celebrity. The poor man hadn’t had any time to simply not think. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Does Harry’s past haunt him as it does Draco? Does Harry lie awake at night in fear, as  Draco does with regret? </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Draco places his knife and fork on his now empty plate Harry waves his wand and they rise from the table, floating their way to the sink only to wash themselves  and then be flung into the kitchen cupboard. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Join me in a walk around the garden? We’re allowed in our own yards.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was it like?”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco and Harry were seated across from one another at a table, surrounded by all sorts of pretty trees, flowers and bushes. It was beautiful, really. Draco prior to that day hadn’t a clue what the outside of Harry’s house looked like, he’d always aparated or floo’d over so there wasn’t a need to go outside. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was what like?” Draco arches an eyebrow, an idea of what Harry was hinting at but not wanting to assume anything too drastic. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, er, Azkaban. Sirius told me all about it, of course, but never in detail. We didn’t have enough time. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco exhales, his posture straightening and facial expressions hardening. “Well, it’s about as bad as you might think it is but entirely worse. It’s unlike anything else- you’re locked in an iron tower floating above the north sea, surrounded by dementors. All you think about, all you see and all you hear are your regrets, all of the bad things you’ve done… It was like a compilation, i’d see dumbledore, you-know-who, my parents, the dark mark, bellatrix… you. It was all too much from the very moment it started, i would have given anything to make it stop- my own life included. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco’s eyes fall shut as he remembers, the visions he saw were engraved into his mind  like ancient writings in stone. The visions of Harry hurt the worst, they cut deeper than any other wound for the simple reason that they’re still open. His parents are dead, Bellatrix is dead, you-know-who is dead, the dark mark is fading and everything else is in the past but Harry? He still lives every day knowing what Draco did, knowing how evil he could be and probably hating him for it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry moves from across from  Draco to next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “ You shouldn’t have gone through that, i tried everything to get you out of it. Fuck- I even contemplated breaking you out, only Ginny told me she was pregnant, i couldn’t risk having my child go fatherless like i did. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Potter- it’s not up to you to save me, or anyone else for that matter. I did bad things and was punished for it fairly, maybe even better than fair thanks to you. Don’t feel guilty for doing the right thing. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> He  turns to look at Harry, their faces close as ever. Draco can see every pore on Harry’s face and his bright green pupils that shun like magical emeralds in the center of Harry’s eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry can see that beyond Draco’s tired eye’s the other is in  every way flawless, not a blemish to be seen on his clear, soft skin. His eyes drift past his eyes, down his nose to his perfectly carved cupids bow and pink lips. He catches himself staring and clears his throat, sitting back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Draco, you did nothing wrong. You were a victim of Voldemort and your parents just as I was, as the wizarding world was. To punish a child for the actions he did to only protect himself is fucking ridiculous. Really, you and your </span>
  <em>
    <span>mother </span>
  </em>
  <span>saved my life. That day at the manor all you had to do was tell Voldemort who i was and i were dead, all Narcissa had to do was announce that i was alive and i would have been dead.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco shakes his head, unable to look at Harry now, his eyes planted firmly on the ground. He wouldn’t accept that, he doesn’t want to hear Harry call him a hero. It’s indecent, offensive to all good people who’ve fought for what's right that’ve gone unnoticed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I am, above all else, a Malfoy. A pureblood, death eater, dark magic using Malfoy.  It’s what flows through my veins and is signed on my birth certificate- i can’t change that. I am my father’s son. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“-And you are your mother’s son. A Black. Cunning, relentless, powerful and above all else- brave. Regulus Black, Sirius Black and  Nymphodora Tonks. Heroes. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.” Draco spoke without thinking, sinking down into his chair with a frown on his face. He’s embarrassed, flustered and honestly quite flustered- to make matters worse Harry takes it upon himself to take hold of Draco’s hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got something to show you.” He pulls  Draco to his feet by his hand and drags him along the garden’s path once more until they reach the front door. Upon entering the house Harry doesn’t let stop nor let go of Draco’s hand, instead continuing to walk through the house and to the set of staircases. They go down. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The room at the bottom of the staircase is very large and bright, walls lined with enchanted windows with views of the Paris skyline, a view Draco recalls from his many trips as a child. In between windows stand bookshelves, trophy cases and work benches. This is very clearly Harry’s office. The centre of the room sits another fireplace, a red velvet couch and a large portrait of a very handsome young man hovering above it. The man looks very familiar. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sirius!” Harry calls and the portrait focuses, waving down at Harry before giving Draco a rather peculiar look.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry, who’s this? He looks like my cousin, Narcissa. Awfully gullible girl, a lot like Regulus. “ He  leans back against the bookshelf to his rear, arms folded across his chest. He’s wearing dark black robes , definitely  wizarding 70’s fashion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s her son, your nephew once removed i think. Right?” Harry looks at Draco who just shrugs. They both  at that moment realize their hands are linked and in reaction pry them away, both of their faces flushed pink. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I- uh-” Harry clears his throat and sits on the couch, Draco standing behind it, leaning his thighs against the seat’s low back. “I wanted to introduce you both.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who’s your daddy, eh? Not that bloody Malfoy git is it? “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Lucius is my dad, yes, and he is quite the git. “ Draco gives the portrait a coy smile and it replies with one bright enough to light up the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, if ya friends with Harry you can’t be as bad as him. He was a sixth year when i first came to Hogwarts, hated him ‘cause not only was he a Slytherin but Snape was his lap dog and I hated Snape since he hated James and  Remus. James was a good friend to me, and Remus was a better one. That’s how friendship works.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My father never knew friendship, not like that. Friendship requires loyalty and he  was only loyal to those who could benefit him in some way, usually politically. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was- ?” Both Harry and Sirius cut him off, Harry turning to face him with a confused expression on his face, Sirius looking equally puzzled. “You don’t know?” Draco asks, making his way around the couch before taking a seat next to Harry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, he tried to break out of Azkaban and was given the dementors kiss, my mother then mercy killed him, in the process dying herself. The Ministry has everyone believing they’re both still rotting in Azkaban, I wasn't allowed to even funeral them. That’s why I can't inherit the Manor.” He’s now addressing Harry directly. “ It’s in my parents name and they can’t sign it in my name because they’re dead but i also can’t inherit it because they're alive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry sighs, taking off his glasses to run his hands down  his face, loudly exhaling. Sirius on the other hand looks taken aback, sitting down on the floor in the painting, brow furrowed. “Wait, wait… Narcissa and Lucius are dead, died in Azkaban… Wow. I knew the Ministry were fucked but i didn’t know it’s that bad. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need no pity from </span>
  <em>
    <span>either </span>
  </em>
  <span>of you, and my parents don’t deserve it. There’s nothing to be done and talking about it only ruins the mood. “ </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry runs his hand through his hair, pushing it back out of his face and finally slides his glasses back on. “Right. Well. “ He turns to Draco and smiles,  Draco returning it in the same shy manner.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to make myself a coffee, want anything?” Harry pats Draco’s thigh before standing up, waiting for his reply before exiting the room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco patiently waits for Harry to leave, only deciding to speak once he could no longer hear Harry’s footsteps. “ Sirius, may i ask you a question? Or a series of them, rather?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, sure. Can’t say i know much, though. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco changes his position on the couch, crossing his legs over the other. “First, how did you come into Harry’s possession?”  Draco physically recoils when he realizes he referred to Harry by his first name, Sirius noticed this but chose to not mention it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, he inherited Grimmauld place, my old home, and I was in the basement.  He sold the place off but kept me. That was a good long time ago, he told me all about the war and how i died. Awful. Bellatrix was always a bloody problem. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco actually laughs at that last comment. Never did he think he’d be able to laugh when Bellatrix’s name is mentioned but  apparently that wasn’t the case, there’s simply something so relaxing about being in the company of Harry Potter. He feels safe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right, well, your life. What was Hogwarts like? You were close with Remus Lupin?” Draco remembers Lupin and even more so the day Snape informed everyone that he was in fact a werewolf. He never would have picked it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah, Remus and I were more than friends. At first i hated him, I thought he was annoying, so smart, handsome, brave and so humble. I thought it was all some kind of act, an innocent facade or some shit, i don’t know. Turned out he was just that great, and that I loved him. Still annoying, though. “ Sirius sits there, elbow on his knee, chin in his hand, thinking hard. </span>
  <em>
    <span>He’s a painting Draco reminded himself,  </span>
  </em>
  <span>internally questioning why it took the other so long to remember something so simple. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Sirius speaks again,  a smile on his face. “ I loved James too, obviously, but he was so.. Yeah, no. It was different. If you’re really related to me you’ll know exactly what i’m talking about; it’s a Black family secret.”  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco blinks, his jaw dropping for a second with a very quiet gasp, as if he was hit by a wave of realization- or a brick, either way he looked stunned. He regathered himself and cleared his throat, fidgeting with his gorgeous, transfigured wizarding robes before asking another question with intention to change the subject. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How’s Harry?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco rolled his eyes, uncomfortable with the idea of having to go into further detail. “Well, he’s a single, retired father. He seems rather… bored, you know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ I think the word you're looking for is depressed. He’s lonely, obviously, i haven’t seen him smile in a long time… Well… besides  just now, when he was looking at you. You fancy him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re a Black, you must be queer- that much is obvious. Our family is known for  being too friendly with our same gendered friends. Do you fancy </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry?” Sirius has this smug grin on his face that makes Draco want to jinx  the portrait but he manages to get through the urge. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry and I  weren’t on good terms at school and are only mildly friendly now because our sons are close. He’s straight, i’m married, it’s simply not like that- i’m sorry to disappoint you but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say. Slytherin, aren’t you? Your lot are ambitious, willing to do anything to get  what you want. You put aside pride, morals, all logic. Gryffindors are brave, sure, but they aren’t ambitious. Harry won’t make the first move, it’s not in his blood or spirit. That’s up to you. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before Draco can rebuttal Sirius begins to grow fur, a snout, and a tail and before Draco knew it, sitting before him in the large oil portrait was a dog. “What.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s  an Animagai. He, my father and Pettigrew all turned themselves into them to protect Remus during full moons.” Harry mumbles, concentrating on not spilling the two cups of coffee and bowl of sweets he has placed on a tray in his hands. He slowly lowers it onto the table and at the same time Sirius, now a dog, stands and walks to the right hand side of the portrait and out of sight.. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s probably visiting James. They’re close.” Harry sits next to Draco, taking his coffee into his hand, body facing towards Draco. “What’d you both chat about?” Harry asks, holding his cup up to his lips and blowing on it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Nothing of significance.”  Draco rotates to face Harry, leaning back into the seat, elbow on the seat’s armrest, wrist limp. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry eyes the other with suspicion he’s sure purely judging by the other’s posture he’s lying but then again it's none of his business. He can’t help but admit to himself Draco looks lovely, sitting on </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>couch in </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>office. Maybe he wishes Draco were </span>
  <em>
    <span>his </span>
  </em>
  <span>too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But he’s married, and straight and well… Draco Malfoy. The idea of Draco falling in love with him is so impossible it’s ridiculous. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But then again, little Harry who spent his days working harder than most house elves and sleeping his nights away in a broom closet would have thought the same way about magic, about his parent being murdered by a cult leader, being famous for surviving the one thing nobody can.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Is the impossible ever really impossible?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry?” Draco snaps his fingers in front of Harry’s face, a small smile on his own. Draco was closer now, their knees were almost touching. “Lost in thought?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Sorry.” Harry smiles, his eyes darting away for a moment to look down at the hardwood floors. He collects his breath and looks up again to take another sip from his coffee, but before he can think he feels a pair of lips press against his.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taken aback,  Harry tried to recoil away from the kiss, placing a hand on Draco’s chest in a pathetic attempt to push Draco away. In retaliation Draco uncrosses his legs and presses himself against Harry, pushing Harry into the couch which squeaks under their pressure. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally the realization of what is happening sinks in, and Harry kisses back. This is everything Harry has ever wanted, ever since he was a little boy but it feels wrong. It feels… forced, almost. He likes it, sure, but he doesn’t love it and he refuses to let this fantasy… the thing he’s wanted more than anything else to feel like this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hand placed on Draco’s chest he gives one, hard push, determined to get the other off of him before it’s too late. “ Draco, no.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco looks bewildered, hurt, mad and then finally Draco’s face contorts into an expression not even Harry can read or rather, he’d rather not. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”  Draco mumbles, eyes frantically looking around to latch onto anything, finally landing  the coffee mugs, placed upon the wooden coffee table below them. Draco takes one of the mugs into his hand, stands abruptly and strides away, exiting out of Harry’s office before Harry can find the words to ask him to stay. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, shit.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry spends the rest of his day alone, only occasionally being visited by a flakey James who somehow was managing to stay preoccupied despite being  forced into a quarantine despite being perfectly healthy. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. a howler?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There they sat, Harry, Draco and James. They were eating dinner, the room lit by the decorative light above, the sky outside dark. It was sort of awkward, Harry and Draco would share romantic glances at one another before quickly looking away like shy schoolgirls, scared James would catch them. James, on the other hand, was distracted, trying to figure out a way to bring up the yelling he heard earlier- he was sure it had to have come from a Howler, right? No real woman can make that sort of noise. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry about the yelling earlier, I'm not sure if either of you heard-” Draco started before rudely being cut off by a far too eager James. </p><p> </p><p>“Howler, right? Some Ravenclaw girl got one last year, it was horrendous. I felt bad for her. Embarrassing as all hell, I dunno what it said, couldn’t make it out through the walls but  I'm sorry you had to go through that, Mr Malfoy.”</p><p> </p><p>Harry scanned Draco’s face for a reaction, expecting him to be mad or even thrown into a state of misery but that simply wasn’t the case. Draco’s mouth curled into a large, cheerful smile and he even laughed a bit. A wave of relief rushed over Harry’s body and he went back to eating. </p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, well, you have to open them otherwise they burst into a ball of flames. You can’t stay at home if you don’t have one. “ Draco simply shrugged and went back to eating. He’d rather have Harry and James assume he received a Howler rather than an argument with his wife- soon to be ex-wife, that is. </p><p> </p><p><em> Cleary Draco didn’t know I was listening in on him</em>, Harry thought as he shovelled the last scoop of partially burnt pie in his mouth. He figured it’d be better to keep it that way, he has an awful feeling in his stomach that Draco wouldn’t appreciate being spied on like that. Not that Harry did it on purpose, of course. </p><p> </p><p>They finished their meals one after the other, James ran off to his room and left the pair of them to clean up, which was a simple task- only a wave of a wand. </p><p> </p><p>“I really thought you’d have a house-elf, Potter. You used to make friends with them all the time, you even freed dobby. I always liked him. “ Draco lifted himself onto the table, sitting on it looking all casual and sexy, driving Harry insane. </p><p> </p><p>Harry turns to face the other, standing in between his legs. “Hermione is against it still, they’re considering passing laws about house-elves and their rights all because of her. She’s determined.”</p><p> </p><p>Draco cups Harry’s face between his hands, a small smile on his lips. “She sounds like a Slytherin if I've ever heard one.” </p><p> </p><p>Harry places a hand on Draco’s thigh and uses the other to prop himself up against the table, eyes fluttering over Draco’s face, lips hovering so close to Draco’s that he can feel the other’s hot breath on his face.</p><p> </p><p>Harry is searching for a smart comeback, an innuendo or flirtatious remark to reply to  Draco with but nothing comes to mind, his head feels empty, filled with nothing but hair and butterflies</p><p> </p><p>The feeling of Draco pressing his lips to Harry’s changes that entirely, the air is sucked out of him by a giant spiritual vacuum and then pumped into him again as if he’s being inflated like a giant flesh balloon. He kisses back, of course, making a point of doing so after the situation that had gone down the morning earlier- he doesn’t want Draco to feel rejected like that ever again. </p><p> </p><p>They pulled away before the kiss got too heated, Harry being the first to speak “ Wanna watch  Telly?”</p><p> </p><p>Draco didn’t know what a Telly is but worked it out pretty quickly. Some sort of muggle machine, sort of like a painting or photograph but it talks.  There were different ‘channels’ some of which displayed the news, others short multipart films called shows and ‘reality tv’ which exploited muggle England's worst kind of people for entertainment. </p><p> </p><p>All in all, it was addictive and the fact he spent the whole time with Harry basically in his lap only made it better. Harry was lying sprawled across the couch, his legs in Draco’s lap, hugging onto a cushion as if it were a stuffed bear. Draco spent the time with his hands on Harry’s legs, gently running his finger up and down Harry’s left leg, occasionally letting that same finger ride dangerously far up Harry’s inner thigh.</p><p>Eventually, Harry decided that he was tired and wanted to sleep and despite every ounce of his being wanting to crawl into bed next to Draco he gave the other a kiss goodnight and they part ways. </p><p> </p><p>Harry waited for Draco to disappear to his room, sitting on his bed, listening out eagerly. He just had to tell Sirius what had happened, he needed someone to confide in- someone to ‘fangirl’ to if you will. </p><p> </p><p>When Harry heard Draco’s door finally shut he crept out of his room, tip-toeing past Draco’s bedroom door and down the stairs to the basement. He was almost caught by James who’d left his room to visit the bathroom, Harry had to duck down and hide in the stairwell. It was all very scary. </p><p> </p><p>Finally, he reached his office and woke a sleeping Sirius up to tell him the news. “Sirius, hey, you won’t believe what happened. It’s extraordinary, honestly. Out of this world type stuff. “</p><p> </p><p>“Draco kissed you? You made sweet, sweet love? Come on, Harry. I can read you like a book. “ Sirius groaned, yawning into his hand, rubbing his eyes. “ Portraits need sleep too, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes! Well, er, not exactly. We didn’t… you know… But he kissed me and asked his wife for a divorce. “ Harry spoke of the last part with a tone of embarrassment in his voice but continued. “I think he likes me, you know.”</p><p> </p><p>Sirius laughed, sinking into the red and gold chair he sat on, hands on his stomach. “He confided in me- I told him to make the first move. Argumentative he was but <em>clearly, </em>he listened. Didn't think he'd file for a divorce, though, purebloods usually are against that stuff. ”</p><p> </p><p>Harry blinked, a wave of realization hit him. That’s why Draco had kissed him so suddenly, Sirius must have convinced him too. “Oh. Huh. So you’re <em> his </em>wingman, not mine?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, don’t be a git.”</p><p> </p><p>They spoke for a while longer, sharing a few jokes, Sirius telling Harry stories of his youth. Sirius was, without a doubt, one of the most realistic portraits Harry had ever seen. He was forever grateful for him. </p><p> </p><p>Finally, Harry went to bed and fell asleep fast, excited for the day ahead. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. life is stupid.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The following week was interesting, Draco and Harry hiding their affair from James who was growing suspicious. James had known Mr Malfoy and his dad to be enemies, so seeing them so awfully close was honestly just strange.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He’d catch them giggling about things in the sort of way Scorpius and Albus would always do, sometimes they’d be standing so close to one another chatting you’d think they were about to kiss- one time Albus swore he saw his dad feed Draco ice cream with his own spoon. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This was awful for a multitude of reasons- Was his dad gay? Was he fucking his son’s boyfriend’s dad? Even worse, was he the sub?  The bottom? His father was showing all the signs of being one, cowering under Draco like some sort of… Hmph!</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Despite being a straight male Albus felt he knew everything there was to know about that sort of thing, learning about omegas and alphas in care of magical creatures and having a twitter, an app used by muggles, for longer than he should have. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Albus had gone to take a pee on Wednesday night, over a week since they first went into quarantine and he saw the strangest thing. He was exiting the dark bathroom (he opted to pee in the dark because the light hurt his eyes,) when he saw Mr Malfoy sneak down the hall wearing a robe, holding a tube of something Albus refused to think about. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Albus stood there, frozen as he saw Draco slide into his Father’s room, closing the door slowly so he wouldn’t be heard. Should he barge in and call them out? Floo his brother? Cry? </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No. He couldn’t be sure. He decided then and there that he’d look into whatever was going on further before accusing his father of being a married man’s bitch. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The following morning Draco woke, his body aching, thighs bruised, body clammy. He could feel Harry clinging onto him, snoring slightly, peacefully asleep. Harry’s room looked a lot like a dorm rather than an adult man’s bedroom- covered in posters and trinkets, the nicest part of the room being a  king-sized bed with a red canopy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The canopy bed brought Draco back to school, the beds in the Slytherin dorm being similar, dark wood with arsenic coloured canopies. He remembers a certain Rita Skeeter article reporting that Harry suffered from night terrors, dreaming about the night his parents were murdered and later when Cedric Diggory followed in their footsteps. Does Harry still suffer from these? Draco can’t bear the thought of it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He slides out of bed and throws on his robe, poking his head out the door to make sure James wasn’t lurking before gliding towards the bathroom. Draco struggles with the muggle shower but finally gets a hold of it before having himself a long, hot shower. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry wakes up soon after, charming himself clean with a few flicks of his wand and quickly getting dressed. As the days go by Harry cares less and less about his appearance around Draco, slowly but surely dressing in his usual, casual clothing. Shirts, jeans, sweaters, sweatpants-  he’s not very fashionable, he just likes his clothes to be clean and to fit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Twenty minutes later Harry was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping his coffee and reading the paper. Owls were finally allowed to travel, but only locally which meant it was only really useful for the paper. For the first time, Harry can remember the paper was basically empty, even Rita Skeeter’s column being boring- No one was out so there simply wasn’t anything to gossip about. Good. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Harry, I wanna chat.” Draco strolled across the room, leaning against the counter with a small, almost shy smile on his face. Draco had only just started to call Harry by his first name and honestly, he doesn’t know how he feels about it. It’s wholesome and it makes him feel far more wanted but at the same time, the pettiness of Draco calling him by his last name was, well, kind of sexy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“‘Course. What's up?” Harry takes one last sip of coffee from his mug before placing it in front of him,  all of his attention being placed on Draco. “Well, I contacted Astoria. I asked for a divorce-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, I know,” Harry spoke before he even considered what he was saying, Draco didn’t know he knew and he only knew because he had been listening in on Draco’s private conversation. How on earth was he going to explain his way out of this one?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know? How do you know?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I uh… Well, I was going to invite you to dinner and I overheard you speaking to her over the floo. A… Accidentally, obviously.” Harry was very clearly lying and Draco could read right through it. As if on cue his posture changed, his slumped shoulders rolled back and his back straightened; Draco’s natural defence. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were listening in on me? In on my private conversation?” Draco spoke in the same manner and tone that he used to when they were kids, Harry could feel his heart sink into his stomach,  a wave of dread hitting him like a punch in the gut. “No... Well… I’m sorry, I didn’t think it’d matter-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe your privacy doesn’t matter to you, but it does to me. I don’t care that you’re Harry Potter, I don’t care about what you’ve done, who you’ve saved or who you killed- You are no god. You are no special. I’m sure no one has ever told you this before so it might blow you away but you are not above anyone else- you can’t go around listening in to people's conversations. Asshole. “ Harry tried to refute, tried to think of something to say but it was all too late. Draco turned on his heel and walked directly to his room, casting a silencing charm on the door before entering it and locking the door behind him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fuck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What a painful git,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harry thought, picking up his mug of coffee once more. Twice Harry had rubbed Draco the wrong way and twice they’d fallen out, causing Draco to run off to his room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This whole thing was ridiculous, what on earth would Draco and he do after the quarantine ends? Date officially? Would Draco even want to, or would he be too proud to admit he had feelings for Harry Potter? It’s ridiculous. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry could already see Hermione and Ron’s reactions to him confessing to their relationship, Hermione’s eyes widening, jaw-dropping before instantly bursting out with a multitude of reasons why his feelings for Draco were merely an illusion. Ron, on the other hand, would probably think Harry was playing some sick joke and laugh, but after that… It couldn’t be good. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry stands up from the counter, mug in hand and turns, walking over to the giant window facing the front yard. He leant back against the window frame, staring out at the bright blue sky, decorated with pretty, fluffy clouds. The sky out here was always gorgeous but Harry swore it’d cleared up even more over the past few days, likely because there are fewer cars on the roads than usual. Quarantine wasn’t all that bad. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dad?” James was standing there, messy hair sitting atop his head carelessly, wearing jeans and a shirt- both of his sons had a very similar fashion taste to himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What's up?” Harry raised a brow, turning to face James,  smiling towards him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Albus floo’d, asked if after all of this we could go on a trip to Diagon Alley and get ice cream, he stressed that I ask you now so you have a lot of time to consider the way you’re going to say yes. Because you are. “ Albus had a cheeky grin on his face, the kind of grin that forced Harry to say yes. So he did. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“ Of course. He can bring Scorpius if he wants, we can get your books early while we’re there. “ </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>James gave Harry an awkward sort of hug, almost knocking the mug out of Harry’s had before running back to his room, </span>
  <em>
    <span>thump thump thump. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry’s smile slowly faded as his son left his vision and he went back to staring out the window, not eyeing down a black crow, sitting on the powerlines ever so elegantly. Only when the crow flew away, likely to steal corn from a nearby field or harass a family of smaller birds did Harry go back to his coffee. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry gazed into his mug, lost in his reflection when a very serious thought hit him- Maybe, just maybe it wasn’t entirely Draco’s fault. Maybe, possibly, Harry was, or at least partly to blame. He did refuse to kiss Draco back, and he did listen in on a private conversation with his wife. Draco had every reason to overreact to things- Being locked away in Azkaban for years, slowly going mental, losing everything that made him, hating himself and being hated by everyone else, stalked by the Ministry... No wonder Draco was insecure. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Harry could easily imagine Draco giving someone a kind smile as they pass down the street and it not being returned, Draco had even mentioned that it was hard for him to get a job because of his last name. He’d been rejected his whole life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Furthermore, Harry knew the Ministry had been spying on Draco for years- keeping tabs on his whereabouts, making sure he wasn’t doing anything suspicious. He discovered that during his small stint at the Ministry, working as an Auror. He didn’t enjoy it one bit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’ll have to apologize again, he knew that. But when? He’s not sure. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Feeling ashamed and defeated Harry walked back into the kitchen and glumly began to wash his mug, despite it being far easier to use magic. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Draco was feeling much of the same- once he’d cooled off and taken a few minutes to think through his emotions and what had just happened he realized he’d overreacted </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Harry doesn’t deserve this, he shouldn’t have to walk around on eggshells in fear he’d upset him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Draco sits on the end of his bed, well, Harry’s spare room’s bed, staring at himself in the mirror on the roof. Draco’s first related this mirror to certain naughty activities but now over a week later the only experience he’d had with it was when he was staring at his stupid reflection after doing something embarrassingly irrational. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>All he wishes right now is that he wants someone to talk to. Someone he can vent all his feelings onto and in return receives some kind of advice, but he’s never had that, not even with his own wife who’d certainly not help him in this situation anyway. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pushing all thoughts aside Draco changed into his green silk pyjamas and collapsed into the bed, rowling himself into a cocoon of featherdown quilts and falling asleep,  despite the fact it was only 11:15 am. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Draco?  Draco… wake up, it’s only 2 in the afternoon. You’re a real git. Get up. “ Draco eyes parted, greeted by the painfully bright summer afternoon sun, right in his eyes. His eyes darted across the room, hoping to land on whoever it was who decided to interrupt his long nap. “No, idiot. In the painting.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The voice... The painting? he turns towards the painting on the wall, a rather bland and still landscape likely painted by a muggle artist. In it stood Sirius, young as ever. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Draco sits up and rolls over so he’s sitting on the edge of the bed, looking towards the painting who’s expression looked concerned. “Are you okay, Draco?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Draco took a few moments to consider his answer before responding, so blunt it sounded almost rude. “ I suppose so. Why are you in my room?”  It certainly wasn’t Draco’s room, and he’s sure his uncle once removed (?) wasn’t perving on him- the fact the man, or painting rather, asked him how he was feeling was what actually had taken him aback. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“To see if you’re okay. Harry was acting all strange so I wanted to see if you were alright. You can chat to me while you’re here, you know. From what I've heard you don’t exactly have many other people to and I got nothing better to do. Obviously. “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Was it a coincidence that Sirius had shown up with such an offer right after Draco wished for someone like that, or did he ‘speak it into existence’ just like Luna was suggesting Albus to do about the quarantine ending a few days back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He thought about what to say for a moment before bursting, telling Sirius every single thought that had been going through his mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“- and I just don’t think it’s right. It’s been a week and I've sent my wife divorce papers and thought with Harry twice. Me and him... It’s delusional, childish, illogical… Stupid. How could I be so stupid?” He’d ranted on for longer than either of them could have expected, Draco looked up expecting to see a bored expression on Sirius's face but if anything he continued to look concerned. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Draco. Life is stupid. Illogical. Bizarre. I moved out of home at sixteen to live with my best friend- boyfriend who was a werewolf mind you, joined a group of people fighting to save the wizarding world from some evil dark wizard, got framed for a murder and lock in Azkaban for a few years only to break out twelve years later and find out my boyfriends engaged to my cousin. Then I died. Harry’s in the same boat, so are you. Things don't just make sense, they just happen. “</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Draco just sighed and fell back on the bed, folding his arms over his chest. He knows Sirius is right, he just doesn’t know what to do. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. love.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Two days past, two days since their second domestic spat. Both Draco and Harry acted civil towards one another, making small talk during meals, discussing things like work and the real estate market. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James, who had previously been trying to expose his father and Mr Malfoy’s top-secret love affair, worked out that something had happened between them quite quickly. Previously he’d been unhappy about the whole thing, but seeing his father going from miserable, to happy, to miserable again didn’t make him excited either. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By the second day, he’d had enough and decided to take it into his own hands. He spent a ridiculously small amount of time thinking through a plan to force the pair to make up, after considering the poor options he’d thought up he remembered love potions. That questionable and likely illegal chain of thought leads him to remember that Mr Malfoy made potions for a living, he’d mentioned it the first day of quarantine. He’d use love potions but from a different, less illegal and far smarter angle- his aunt, Hermione would be very proud. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He exited from his forbidden room, walking down the stairs eyeing his surroundings. He wanted to find Draco alone, his plan wouldn’t work if he was in the presence of his dad- he’d work it out before he could even begin. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His eyes landed on Draco who sat in the living room, heavily invested in an awful television show about a bunch of ‘wild singles’ all of which were glowing a bright, fake orange. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mr Malfoy?” Draco jumped at first, shutting off the television out of reflex before turning around. “Oh, James. You can just call me Draco, you know. Mr Malfoy is my dad. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Right. “ James smiles and sits across from the other, hands shoved in his pants that were barely showing under his robes.  Yes, robes, he thought they’d be the best thing to wear to impress Draco- These were fancy, too. “You make potions, right? I have some questions about them and I don't think Dad could answer them, he’s horrible at potions. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco looked surprised at first, but that expression quickly turned rather bright, excitement beaming in his eyes. “He was horrendous at school. Ask away, James. There’s no question too stupid or too dangerous to ask. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James took a moment, pretending to think about his question, but in actuality, he had planned out what he was going to say exactly. “ What can you tell me about love potions?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco paused for a moment, running a finger over his plump bottom lip as he thought of an answer. “ Well, there are different types. None truly work, love cannot be created or destroyed by magic. In fact, it’s its kind of uncontrollable magic altogether. Amortentia, for example, doesn’t create love but instead obsession and addiction… You feel like you’d die without the other, you have withdrawals…  You can’t control yourself.” He pauses for a moment, eyes flicking towards Harry’s bedroom door before flicking back to James. “ They’re evil. Toxic. Love is too powerful to be manipulated by a potion, or any kind of magic. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somewhere in the middle of Draco’s speech Harry exited from the bathroom and caught wind of what the pair were talking about. Quick thinking, he ducked down behind James’ staircase and hid, listening in to the conversation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“... Love is important, isn’t it? Real special, something you wouldn’t want to lose. Mum says its once in a lifetime, a lot of people don’t even really fall in love ‘cause they give up too soon. You- or I wouldn't wanna give up. ‘Specially just because you’re, or I, or anyone, was feeling shy.  “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>James feels he deserves an award for his acting skills, playing clueless and innocent, a coy smile on his face, the casual tone in his voice. Ah! Maybe he won’t be an Auror after all and instead choose the muggle career of film and television. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It’s like James knows exactly what Harry needs to hear, like he’s speaking to him directly, convincing him of what needs to be done. He’s always known his son was smart but even this was exceeding his expectations, how could he have known Harry would be here right now to listen to him? How did he find out about him and Draco?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… You’re right. “ Draco clears his throat, his face heating up. He felt the same as Harry, if not less surprised because he’d already realized James is too much like Harry to not realize something was up.   “ That’s why love potions are horrible. You can’t force things like that. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Potions, what? Oh, yeah. “ Distracted congratulating himself on his acting skills, James had almost forgotten what they were talking about. “Thank Mr- I mean Draco. I think I got it. “ And before Draco could say another word. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stood abruptly as soon as he heard James’ door close, speeding towards Harry’s room when he ran directly into someone’s chest. The body, warm and familiar belonged to Harry who seemed to appear out of nowhere. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dra-” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ha-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They spoke at the same time, but words were unnecessary. Draco looked down at Harry who looked back, eyes locking, both mutually understanding exactly what they wanted to say. They knew right then and there that any future without one another simply wasn’t worth living, that tomorrow wouldn’t matter if it wasn’t to be spent side by side. They spent their lives looking for the last pieces of their puzzles, only now realizing that they were each others fitting pieces. At that very moment, Draco felt that he would die if Harry were to look away from him, and Harry felt that the ground would swallow him up if Draco were to let go. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry was the first to break the silence,  first stuttering before clearing his throat, breathlessly blurting out the only words that’d come out of his mouth- the only words that needed to. “I think- well, no, I know I love you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instead of looking surprised or taken aback, Draco smiled, beaming at Harry as if that was all he wanted to hear because it was. “ I love you too. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was all very Gryffindor of Harry to say those precious words first and it was equally Slytherin of Draco to wait for the other to do so. It’s funny to think their childhoods consisted of them going head to head, fighting because of those very things that separated them from one another and forced them to feel different would now combine them and hold them together in such a magical way. They’ll always be opposites, all true lovers are as they balance the figurative scale. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry feels two hands grab him by the collar and begin dragging him in the direction of his bedroom and although he can’t see who they belong to ( due to the fact his vision is impaired as Draco has his lips locked with his own ) he knows exactly who they belong to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They fall into a bed, Harry assumes it’s his own until Draco pulls away to catch his breath and take off his shirt. Initially, his eyes lay on Draco’s skin, but drift beyond that to be greeted by his reflection. They’re in Draco’s room.  He admires the muscles in Draco’s back moving around as he undresses the pair of them, Draco now attacking Harry’s shirt which unfortunately is a button-up with particularly difficult buttons but eventually, they begin to drift again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>They reach the reflection of the doorway; Harry notices that Draco didn’t close the door behind him, and a pang of embarrassment rushes through him when he realizes James is standing there- no, it’s not James at all, it isn’t even once a person. Two people are standing there... Little people, children… Albus and </span> <span>Scorpius. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the fu-”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>---</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>
    <em>ONE MONTH LATER</em>
  </b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You sure they’ll be safe on their own? “ Draco anxiously toyed with the collar of his robes, adjusting them so they sat just right against his neck. “Of course, Honey. I lived in Diagon Alley during my second, or was it third? The third year, I think, maybe fourth... Doesn’t matter. I basically lived there for a summer.  They’re better off there than in the Ministry, anyway.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco nodded at Harry’s words and reached down to take his hand. “ I have to pick something up from Gringotts but I’ll meet you there, okay?”  Harry nodded, squeezed Draco’s hand and they parted ways. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Harry Potter? Why I thought they were kidding when they said you’d be coming in today. I haven’t seen you since you quit. What are you here for?  Did you hear about the stolen cauldrons we acquired, they’re quite cheap-” Harry stood in the middle of the department of law enforcement, people bustling all around him, many of which were ex co-workers. He wonders if Ron is here.   Harry personally didn’t know the man behind the desks name, but remembered him, not from his position as head of... Acquired artefacts, or something like that, but from somewhere else. He was at least 60, overweight and pink in the face. His round, mangled nose was his most prominent feature beside his rectangle framed glasses which he adjusted frequently despite the fact Harry was sure they couldn’t possibly be big enough to slide down any further. The man smiled at Harry with a mocking tone, speaking to Harry as if he were an idiot.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ah. Funny.  I’m here to acquire a Ministry property. “ The man’s expression changed only slightly, sitting up to take a piece of paper from his desk, adjusting his glasses once more. “ Well, we have only a handful of properties. An office in London, another in Scotland-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, no. They won’t do. I don’t think this property, in particular, is on the books but I know for a fact you have it and it’s up for sale. “ Harry leant in, whispering slightly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fat gentlemen leaned in also, mimicking Harry’s sneaky tone. “ I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Malfoy Manor. I would like to buy Malfoy Manor. I have all the gold here. “ Harry pulls a large, heavy bag of galleons out of his coat and dumps it onto the desk, the toad-like man’s eyes widening at the sight of it all. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why on  earth would  you, of all people, want  Malfoy Manor?” The gentlemen laughed and Harry grimaced, shrugging slightly. “Because I do. I don’t think it’s any of your business, really, as head of the department of obtained objects- or whatever-, you should be keener on selling them. Or should I speak to your higher-ups on the matter instead? ” The man blinked anxiously, toying with the paper in his hand before nodding and continuing. “  it’s the department of confiscated items mind you-” He raised his voice only to lower it again when people began to turn to look at him. “ Okay, well, you’re lucky. That property only just went up for sale, that Malfoy Ferret came in and permitted us only a week ago. Probably needed the money, who on earth would hire a death eater? “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It came to Harry in a flash and he remembered exactly who the ugly man in front of him was. He sat on the council at Draco’s trial, he voted for Draco’s imprisonment.  Boris Countyflop. He’s speaking to Harry like that because he thinks he’s one-upped him or something. Little does he know. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So. The papers.” Harry refused to react to his nasty comment, changing the subject back to The Manor. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course, Sir. It’s an easy process, you just need to sign a parchment saying you've acquired the property and as it’s in your name it’s your responsibility and all of that. “  Boris pulls a piece of Parchment out from underneath his desk, pacing it in front of Harry and waving his wand over it, a contract appearing. Harry reads it through, making sure he’s not getting tricked out of the last of his parents' savings before signing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Boris places the Manor’s giant key ring on the table and then reaches to take the piece of parchment but Harry places a hand on it, preventing him from doing so. “Wait. I’m having someone else sign it, they’ll be here any minute now. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ ‘Course sir. “</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And as if on cue Draco strides in as if he’s walking down a catwalk in Paris, looking drop-dead gorgeous in forest green robes that accentuate every feature of his perfectly carved body. He comes to a stop next to Harry and wraps an arm around his waist and presses a kiss to his cheek. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Honey. You’re just in time, just sign your name. “ Harry makes a point to speak loud enough that everyone in the department hears, most of them stop what they’re doing to turn and look. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Draco takes the quill from Harry’s hand and quickly signs the parchment, looking up once he’s finished to meet the eyes of Boris, looking as fat and ugly as ever, glowing red with rage. After twenty years of arguments and torture, doing whatever they can do make sure Draco couldn’t have his family home back Harry bought it just like that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ Now, if I’m not mistaken,” Harry picks up the bag of Galleons again and opens it, counting out a few. “This is your cut. “ He drops a pathetic pile of Galleons onto the desk before turning to Draco, smiling at him brightly. “ And this is yours. “ He hands the bag to Draco who returns the favour with a very quick kiss. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I-i-” Boris was left speechless, unable to fathom what was happening to before him. Harry picks up the ring of keys from the table and also hands that to Draco who admires it for a slight moment before letting his eyes wander to Boris’ outraged face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ll be off, then. Tell Ron I said hi, yeah?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that, the pair of them turn, hand in hand, and make their way to exit the Ministry. Together. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>if you like this read my fic 'hero', it's the first story in a series I'm writing. very Drarry. thank</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>